26 January 2009

Records on use of guns at border 'missing'

This article is excerpted from the 26 January 2009 edition of the “Toronto Star”.

An internal review found records were "missing or incomplete" for nearly half of the cases in which newly armed Canadian border agents drew their guns.

And border officers in one region were completely unaware they had to send reports to headquarters on incidents involving force, including use of weapons such as pepper spray and batons.

"This may result in information on incidents not being reviewed, incomplete data on the use of force and no follow-up or investigation taken to address serious concerns," says the Canada Border Services Agency audit, completed in October….

The lapses were among early growing pains cited in the report on the agency's ongoing initiative to arm border officers.

While the auditors found "reasonable progress had been made" in putting the program's fundamentals in place, there was room for improvement. The audit made several recommendations and spelled out plans by the agency to deal with the glitches over the next two years.

Border officers have been provided in recent years with handcuffs, pepper spray, batons, protective vests and use-of-force training to help them enforce the law.

Three years ago the Conservative government announced a 10-year plan to equip and train 4,800 officers to carry firearms. Almost 500 officers were instructed in gun use from July 2007 through last June.

The auditors looked at 23 incidents from July 2007 to April 2008 – 10 involving guns and 13 randomly selected events concerning general use of force. Of the firearm incidents, six files contained the necessary documentation. In the other four cases, review reports were missing or documents unsigned.

Tracie LeBlanc, a spokesperson for the border services agency, said all use-of-force incidents are fully reviewed by the agency….